


(Un)Fortunate Circumstances

by aria_vitali



Series: Collections of History Unwritten [9]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:27:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21713035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aria_vitali/pseuds/aria_vitali
Relationships: Aymeric de Borel/Original Character(s), Aymeric de Borel/Warrior of Light
Series: Collections of History Unwritten [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1541752
Kudos: 4





	(Un)Fortunate Circumstances

When Clan Centurio had requested additional aide and promised further bonuses for the heads of certain marks, many adventurers found themselves taking up the hunt only to return empty handed or - even worse - heavily injured. Thus was a formal request sent to the Temple Knights in the Congregation of Knights Most Holy.

However, with their shortage of able-bodied warriors, the Lord Commander could ill afford to have more of his countrymen sent out to die to face an enemy they practically had no knowledge of. It was in this musing as he spoke aloud that a pair of lovebirds had overheard his distress as they entered the den of their Free Company house to rest.

"What do we have here," Noire chimed it, her arms draping around Valeria's neck as they sat on the leather couch across from him. "If it isn't the Azure Dragoon of the New Age. All alone, besides. Where's Aria?"  
Aymeric smiled politely, nodding his head towards the two of them. "Mine apologies, Miss Noire and Miss Valeria. She had left a bit ago to deliver some materials requested of her by the Conjurer's Guild."  
"Ah, the medicine," Noire mused as she hummed in understanding. "She's been working on that for a while."

Aymeric nodded to confirm her assumption. Valeria fidgeted slightly, but brought to light the murmurs the Ishgardian let loose.

"Issues with a hunt, Ser Aymeric?" Valeria asked timidly. "Would you like some assistance?"  
Aymeric's eyes widened. "I could not possibly-"  
Noire rolled her eyes. "You'd practically be one of us if it weren't for, you know, being the speaker of the House of Lords and the commander of Ishgard's army. We _know_ your kind, Ser Aymeric. You 'self-sacrificing' type of workaholic that doesn't know how to ask for help. So, we are offering. Out with it."'

Aymeric blinked in surprise, his gaze darting to Valeria as her cheeks flushed to a light shade of pink. Whilst her expression was somewhat mortified from her partner's less-than-tactful response, she agreed all the same. So, unable to refute, he described his woes to the women.

"Oh, is that all?" Noire beamed excitedly. "Why didn't you just say so?"

Upon seeing Aymeric eye Noire as if she grew a second head, Valeria offered to explain.

"We have experience when it comes to bounties, Lord Commander," she said. "If you need help, we are free to assist."  
Aymeric crossed his arms over his chest. "'Tis far too much for me to ask of you and yours. Not to mention the channels of communication through the Elder Seedseer to your Company and-"  
"Free Companies are its own organization," Noire interrupted. "We adventurers are free. As long as we participate in the occasional Grand Company request, we work at our own volition."  
Valeria nodded with a smile. "Aria has given us freedom to do as we please. And we are offering our help because we want to."  
"Not to mention you'll be proposing to our leader soon, right?" Noire grinned.

Aymeric flushed and coughed to assuade his embarrassment. As her partner snickered, Valeria only shrugged in helplessness.

Thus, that is how Valeria and Noire came to be where they are now. 

Bringing down Marraco, the dreaded Elite Rank A hunt mark of the Coerthas Central Highlands, went as well as it could get given the circumstances. Valeria and Noire had staked out the area of Camp Dragonhead for days, tracking the beast through their own means as well as collecting information from the knights of House Fortemps returning from guard duty. The couple had just finished extracting a tooth and scale from the beast when they heard voices.

"Ah~, looks like someone beat us to it, Kana," a small female mused aloud.  
A chuckle followed, as well as a hum in agreement. "You're right, Diana. But it only matters if we bring back the proof, right?"

Valeria shifted her head ever so slightly before instinct had taken over. In seconds, she had unsheathed her katana and dashed to stand protectively over Noire. The ringing of blade against blade echoed in the air as a pair of daggers met with her sword. Valeria furrowed her brows and shifted her weight so that she would be able to push the Miqo'te that had jumped her off.

The perpetrator had a mask that covered the majority of his face, its design trademarked by the Ironworks engineers. Seeing it, Valeria knew they weren't an average mercenary; after all, in order to obtain the equipment, Cid and his fellows would request a trade of tomestones. _Those_ can only be obtained through expeditions.

Meaning the company was rather _experienced_ in mercenary work.

"Val!" Noire exclaimed, unsheathing her own blades.  
Valeria frowned and gripped the hilt of her katana tighter. "On your guard, my love. They're more skilled than normal people."

As soon as Valeria had finished her statement, a ball of condensed aetherial energy shot towards the pair. The lavender shade met with earth as Valeria and Noire dodged with lethal grace and their eyes turned to find a white-haired Au'Ra woman of similar appearance, though her armor was white with red detailing. In her hand hovered a magitek orrery, the cards of fortune spinning in orbit at its center. 

However, when the astrologian laid eyes on Valeria, her expression contorted to recognition and surprise.

"Wait, is that-"

The Miqo'te dashed in towards Valeria before the Au'Ra could continue. He jumped into the air and let loose a rain of sharp kunai in a _Death Blossom_ , to which the samurai had swung her blade to knock back those she knew would hit. Then, he had used _Shukuchi_ to reposition himself on the ground, and once more to dash forward for an _Assassinate_. Knowing of this skill, Valeria dodged out of the way of his blades, to the ninja's surprise, before dashing back in with the intent to use _Shinten_. 

Before the impact, the Au'Ra woman growled in frustration before she rushed forward and raised her weapon towards Valeria and the Miqo'te.

"Oh no, you don't!" Noire shouted.

The astrologian peered up to see Noire diving towards her with _Shadow Fang_. The woman managed to dodge out of the way and continued to do so as Noire swiped her weapons towards her.

"Wait, wait!" the Au'Ra exclaimed. "We're not trying to hurt-"  
"As if!" Noire retorted, positioning her body for a _Trick Attack_.

Knowing what's to come, the Au'Ra woman grunted and stretched her arms out. A flow of aether emitted from her as her orrery floated in front of her chest. Soon, she was encased in a dome of _Collective Unconscious_ to mitigate the Viera's attack. In this, she took the opportunity to call out to her comrade.

"Damn it, Kana!" she shouted. "Stop attacking! _That's Valeria!!!_ "

At the sound of her statement, the Miqo'te named Kana had froze mid-swipe. It startled Valeria, as she was too swift to stop her own movements. Luckily, the ninja was dexterous enough to jump backwards, flipping in the air in theatrics, to dodge. It was then that Valeria saw Kana's eye squint before recognition settled on his face.

"Bloody hells, it sure is!" Kana laughed.

At the sight of her confusion, Kana sheathed his daggers and pressed the button on his headgear that activated his face mask. Valeria's expression became dumbfounded at the sight of an old friend, so much so that she couldn't hide it within herself.

"K-Kana?!" she exclaimed. Then, she turned to the Au'Ra. "Then, that must be-!"  
"Yes, yes, it's me, the wonderful fortune teller, Diana," Diana hissed as she fought against Noire's strength. "I'll pull up my mask, tell your friend to _knock it off_!"  
Valeria panicked for a split second before she called out to Noire. "Love! It's alright, they're friends!"

Noire peered over her shoulder to look towards Valeria. At the sight of her sincerity, the Viera huffed and jumped backwards, laxing her stance and sheathing her blades. Diana breathed a sigh of relief as she had done the same as Kana to pull up her mask. Indeed, it truly was her in the flesh. The sight only gained clarity as she walked towards the group.

"It's been too long," Kana greeted with a smile. "Sorry for the, you know, not-so-welcome hello. Got a bit too excited there."  
Valeria shook her head. "It's good the misunderstanding cleared up. You two are also hunting?"  
"We heard the rewards had doubled!" Diana answered in singsong. "We wanted to claim the bounty so we can eat worry-free for a bit. And buy some new clothes."  
Kana nodded in agreement before his eyes became inquisitive. "And you? What have you been up to? And who's the lovely lady?"  
Valeria turned to bashfully introduce Noire. "This is Noire. She's my fiancee."  
Noire waved in their direction playfully. "Ello!"  
"As for what we've been doing..." Valeria said, pondering for the right words to say. "In a Free Company. Doing missions and the like."  
"Settled down, huh?" Kana smiled. "Good, good. Glad ya got yourself a home."  
Valeria frowned. "You said you were hunting to eat worry-free...?"  
Diana shrugged with an exaggerated sigh. "Work is hard to find! It doesn't help that Kana lost our coinpurse the other day, either!"

Kana's face flushed deeply, his brows furrowing. With a helpless sigh, Valeria turned to Noire in a silent question. In turn, Noire only shrugged to signal the go-ahead. On her consent, Valeria turned to her friends once more.

"Well, would you like to have dinner with us?" she asked. "You can keep the bounty, too. We only came because a friend of ours asked for our help."  
Kana raised a brow. "A _friend_ asked you to take down a Rank A Elite mark?"  
Noire flashed a devious grin, interrupting her love as she was to speak. "Oh, yes indeed. Though, it would be better understood if you were to see for yourself."

  
Valeria knew this look and she only gulped air in nervousness.

* * *

Even before Valeria and Noire had opened the front door to their Free Company house, they could already hear screaming. Screaming and the condensation of aetherial magick. Its intensity caused Kana and Diana to tense, obviously unused to its sensation. Valeria was wholeheartedly confused, unsure of what was going on whilst Noire had sauntered over in the direction of the yelling in dark curiosity. 

"Is everything alright?" Kana asked, closing the door behind him and waving to the Ananta attendants, who nodded in acknowledgement in return.  
Valeria hummed. "She's mad."  
"We get someone's mad, but _who_?" Diana asked.

Valeria followed after Noire, rounding the corner before seeing familiar faces standing outside of Aria's open office. Nayoh, their Viera paladin, had the widest smirk on her face at the sight before her while Dernar was merely leaning against the wall cross-armed, eyes closed. Seeing her from the corner of her eye, Noire waved to the spot beside her. With a tilt of her head, Valeria obeyed.

Valeria wanted to laugh. She really did. 

The scene before her was of Aria, sitting with one leg over the other at the edge of her riviera office desk. The chairs were spread out to make space and kneeling on the floor before her were Zeke and Tito, side by side. Aymeric, on the other hand, stood helplessly at Aria's side, unsure of what to do with himself.

"What's going on?" Valeria asked, sensing Kana and Diana coming up behind her.  
Nayoh nodded towards the scene. "You'll see. It _just_ started anyway."

Valeria's eyes trained back in front of her just in time to see aetherial shards manifest and sparkle in the air in an array of red, blue and purple. Aria's eyes, normally amethysts against the light, shone a bright sky blue. Noire snickered along with Nayoh at the sight of it.

"So angry she's entering the Dreadwyrm's Trance?" Noire teased. "Oh, she's _so_ mad."

At that moment, Aria's brows knit, indicating another outburst of energy. Contrasting the shouting they initially heard, Aria's voice now was much quieter and _eerily_ calm.

"So, you mean to tell me..." Aria said in a voice cold as ice. "...that amidst your drunken stupors at the Forgotten Knight, the both of you found it fit to _ride your giant morbols_ across the plazas of Ishgard's city proper?"

Valeria sighed on the outside, but internally, she wanted nothing more than to burst out in laughter. While Dernar merely shook his head, Nayoh couldn't hold it in and held her stomach as she laughed from the top of her lungs. Noire didn't doubt she was also tearing up from the scene, especially at the sight of the problem children visibly tensing.

"And not only did the two of you manage to scare the poor citizens witless, I am to understand that you have added onto the already piling amount of damages the city has received from the Dragonsong War during your game of _tag_?"

The revelation of it gave cause for Noire to fall to her knees in laughter, joining Nayoh on the floor as they bellowed at the knowledge presented to them.

"Look, Aria," Tito started, earning him a sharp death glare from the woman that caused him to flinch back in fear with a cry before continuing. "How could we not?! It was ripe for the picking and there were hardly any people lingering around Foundation!"  
"Ha, 'picking,'" Zeke snorted. "Cause they're plants and they produce fruit."

Aymeric could only blink in surprise at Zeke's answer and when the Hrothgar realized his untimely jest, it was too late. They both froze to see that Aria's eyes had begun glowing even brighter. The Lord Commander only feared that his lady love was going to blow a hole through the roof if she were to be prodded any further.

"My dearest, surely we will be able to create a plan of action," he encouraged.  
Aria's glare remained. "Oh, but we _will_. I will make sure of it."

It was then that Aria's eyes drifted towards the door. When she saw Valeria standing in wait, her expression relaxed and became brighter. She also noticed the pair of individuals behind her.

"Welcome home, sister," Aria greeted. "You have brought friends?"

Valeria stepped inside Aria's office, but moved along the wall so the others could still see.

"I'm home, and yes," Valeria answered. "This is Kana'de and Diana. They were part of a mercenary group of mine a long time ago."  
At that, Aria waved in their direction. "Pleasure to meet you."

Meanwhile, Kana and Diana's eyes were wide with the scene before them. They didn't know what to speak of first: the fact that two people were kneeling like school children before the Warrior of Light, the fact that the Warrior of Light and the Lord Speaker of Ishgard were standing in the flesh before them or the fact that _Valeria knew them and spoke to them on a regular basis_. To save themselves the embarrassment of stammering, they merely nodded in acknowledgement.

"We're saved," Tito said aloud, causing Aria's glare to return and direct itself to him.  
Zeke groaned. "You fucking idiot."  
"How much is the bill, Aymeric?" Aria asked in monotone.  
Aymeric frowned. "Ia, there is hardly the need to-."  
" _Aymeric_ ," Aria warned, her voice an octave deeper.  
Aymeric gulped. "It equates to mayhap five hundred thousand gil if we are to include the procuring of materials and the physical labor associated with such."

Noire released a strangled sound, looking visibly pained.

"How in the _seventh hell_ did you guys get so drunk you caused _that_ much damage?" she gaped, looking more impressed than anything else.  
Ignoring Noire's question, Aria spoke again. "Now, you two have two options. Either you each procure half of the aforementioned funding to pay the bill within the next five suns...or you work your _sod arses_ to the bone to restore that which you destroyed. _Each and every one_."  
"That's not fair!" Tito exclaimed. "How am I supposed to make that much?! You _know_ I haven't touched any artisan field!"  
"Mayhap you should have considered the consequences _before_ taking action," Aria hissed in return. "So? What will it be?"  
"I'll bring the money," Zeke answered almost immediately. "My half, at least."

Aria nodded towards Zeke then turned to Tito. The Miqo'te dragoon began sweating at the back of his neck, knowing that he neither had the funds nor the means to do so.

"Uhh...can I pay over time?" he asked.

His question seemed to have killed Aria's last remaining brain cell and the intensity of the aetherial pressure surged. It only showed how _furious_ Aria had become as her summoning book, lying innocently on the surface of her desk, began floating in the air, opening to the appropriate pages. At the sight of this, Zeke made an immediate beeline for the door - almost tripping over Nayoh and Noire in the process - whilst Aymeric followed in a brisk walk. When Valeria wasn't moving, the noble had gingerly prodded her on the shoulder and led her outside, closing the door behind him.

"Well, _that_ was certainly something," Nayoh mused, releasing a deep sigh of satisfaction.  
"Indeed," Aymeric agreed.

Just then, there was a sound of a loud crash and crack, followed by Tito's panicked scream three octaves above his regular voice. In the silence that followed, it felt as if the house _rumbled_.

"...Why don't we have dinner in New Gridania tonight?" Noire stammered. "My treat."

No one hesitated to nod their head and leave hurriedly out of Phoenix Down's headquarters. They could only hope that, upon their return, they would find both the house and Tito's limbs intact. The thought of it made Valeria laugh to herself.

  
Maybe she would ask her friends if they were interested in joining another time.


End file.
